Who we are and where we are going…
Singers Marin was founded to serve the community and preserve the integrity of the choral art. It provides singers of all ages the opportunity to experience the joy of making music together and bring that joy to the community through our outreach program and public concerts. Most importantly, we strive for the highest level of musical standards in all of our presentations.
Founded by Artistic Director, Jan Pedersen Schiff in January 1987, Choral Singers of Marin, Inc. became a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization in July 1988 with Wings of Song as its first ensemble. Following Jan’s retirement in 2020, Singers Marin became a singers-run organization and hired Michael Brandon Morales as its artistic director, retaining our cherished piano accompanist, Irene Jacobson. Singers Marin is a mixed SSA ensemble and hold 3 seasons per year, each culminating with a concert. We tour abroad to showcase our music and at home, we spread the joy of music to elderly homes.
Our past history …
This all-female, non-auditioned chorus continues to grow in numbers and in excellence. In September of 2001, the chorus expanded to serve more women by holding rehearsals during the daytime and evenings, which also increased the number of performances it provides for the elderly audiences of Marin. The group sings a repertoire of familiar songs, including light classical, folk songs, show-tunes, and popular standards. In 1994, Wings of Song hosted the California Women's Chorus Convention. The chorus recorded its first CD, Sentimental Journey, during the summer of 1999.
Singers Marin began building a mixed chorus in 1992. This group, originally called Choral Singers of Marin, became known as A Joyful Sound! Now performing only during the summer season, the chorus encourages families to participate together. The Marin Master Chorale, after four successful seasons, presented a historic final performance of the Berlioz, Requiem at Davies Symphony Hall in May 2001.
Young Singers of Marin had its formal beginnings in 1996 as an outgrowth of a two-year sponsorship of the Marin High School Honors Chorus. The first all-female teen chorus chose the name les étoiles, and subsequently have become the “stars” of Singers Marin. Caroling Kids joined in the fall of 1996, after a previously independent successful season. The children recorded their first CD, Simply Christmas, during the summer of 2000. Singers Marin expanded the children's program to spring rehearsals in 1999 to form a children's chorus for Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. These “star” programs now include the youngest children participating as Twinkling Stars (ages 6-8), Starlights (ages 9-middle school), and the auditioned choir Celestial Voices (age 10-middle school). Singers Marin is dedicated to providing a quality music education program for the young people of Marin County and committed to filling the gap left by the public schools in the area of vocal music.
In 1995 and 1999, through invitation, the adult singers performed at Carnegie Hall in New York. Wings of Song and les étoiles returned to Carnegie Hall once again in 2006 to perform the spring program of pieces by Ralph Vaughan Williams. In 1997, the choruses traveled to Berlin and Vienna to perform at the International Schubert Festival. In 1999, les étoiles performed at the Kiwanis Choral Festival in Vancouver, BC, and in the summer of 2001 at the Sydney Opera House where they received a gold award in the Australian International Music Festival. In 2004, les étoiles traveled to Bremen, Germany to compete in the World Choir Games, where they received a bronze medal for their achievements. In June of the same year, Celestial Voices participated in the Golden Gate International Children’s Choral Festival for the first time. They competed in two categories and returned home with second and third place finishes. Four years later, in the summer of 2008, les étoiles and Celestial Voices traveled to Graz, Austria to compete once again in the World Choir Games, receiving a silver diploma for their achievements.